BPA exposure might damage tooth enamel

The chemical bisphenol A – better known as BPA – which is found in many plastic household products, including water bottles and baby bottles, has been associated with cancer, asthma and other health problems. And now, based on a study at Universté Paris-Diderot in Paris, it could be a threat to dental health. The researchers there say that early exposure to low daily doses of BPA may damage the enamel of children’s teeth. Previous research has shown that about 18 percent of children between six and eight years old already have enamel problems.

In this study, the scientists found that regular exposure to BPA caused the incisors of rats to become more fragile and likely to become damaged. And they determined that the affect on the animals’ teeth was similar to the condition known as Molar Incisor Hypomineralisation, where children’s teeth become hypersensitive and more susceptible to cavities. The first years of life, when teeth form, is also when humans have been found to be most sensitive to the effects of BPA.

In response to concerns related to BPA, Europe banned the product in babies’ bottles in January 2011. The law will extend to all food containers in France by July 2015. In March 2012, the United States Food and Drug Administration found no proof that low levels of BPA exposure are unsafe.

Can obesity be predicted from infancy?

As early as two months into a baby’s life, a child has exhibited growth patterns that can predict their weight by age five–including patterns of obesity. That’s the conclusion of a team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University and Tennessee State University, who found that growth patterns emerge in infancy, and children who fall on the heavy side of growth charts at that young age are more likely to be overweight at age five.

The researchers found that normal-weight babies with a BMI in the 17th percentile were found to have plateaued at about two months and rarely deviated until age five. But their research determined that overweight or obese babies crossed the 17th percentile line months later – at about 14 months of age – but then continued to climb. Through those early years, normal-weight children developed differently than overweight ones.

For this study, 221 children were selected from 4,000 records of healthy children under the care of a health maintenance organization. Each had weight, height and medical records from nine well check-ups over the first five years of their lives. The different growth patterns began to emerge around the time the babies started to eat solid foods.

Prior studies indicate that a mother’s diet during pregnancy might contribute to a baby’s hormones and the ability to satisfy its hunger.

Walks after meals may lower diabetes risk

If researchers at George Washington University in Washington D.C. are right, the smartest thing you can do after a meal is to skip the dessert and take a walk. They’ve published a study concluding that even a 15-minute stroll following a meal can help reduce the blood sugar spikes that occur after filling your stomach with food. For older people in particular, that can help lower the risk of developing diabetes.

The scientists found that three short bouts of exercise a day are more likely to help older people control blood glucose levels than one long bout of exercise-- especially if the exercise follows a meal. They believe that a short bout of walking at an easy or moderate pace may be all you need.

The study observed 10 people aged 60 and older who were at risk for type 2 diabetes due to insufficient physical activity and higher-than-normal fasting blood sugar. The participants in the study engaged in each of three exercise programs – walking 15 minutes after each meal, walking 45 minutes at 10:30 a.m. or walking 45 minutes at 4:30 p.m. Those who walked three times a day were more likely to prevent elevated blood sugar levels, which is a pre-diabetic condition that can develop into type 2 diabetes. The results also indicated that blood sugar levels were under control for up to three hours following a post-meal evening walk.

Since older people may be less able to control blood sugar levels after meals because of insulin resistance in the muscles or low insulin secretion from the pancreas, this approach to exercise may be particularly beneficial to people in their 70s and 80s.